Hofstra marks the 450th anniversary of the Bard's birth

Hofstra University students (from left) Ryan Molloy, Brendan Hickey, Matt Engle, and Will Atkins star in "The Comedy of Errors," which opens Thursday at Hofstra's John Cranford Adams Playhouse.

Phil Marino

On Stage

Shakespeare Festival

The arrival of Hofstra’s annual Shakespeare Festival means that spring is not far behind. This year’s event features “The Comedy of Errors,” one of Shakespeare’s most farcical plays. This is only the third time in the festival’s history that the Bard’s boisterous farce about mistaken identities, which was based on a Roman comedy by Plautus (and the inspiration for the 1930s musical “The Boys from Syracuse”), has been performed. It is accompanied the Festival Musicale, “Kemp’s Jig: Comedy in Early Music,” presented by the Hofstra Collegium Musicum, and a companion play, “Something Wicked,” a one-hour version of Macbeth, an excellent introduction to Shakespeare’s works, suitable for young theatergoers.

Step back in time to Old Ireland at Old Bethpage Village’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration, which has now become an annual area tradition. The village salutes Ireland with plenty of entertainment, traditional food and beverages and Irish merchandise to entice visitors. Featured entertainment includes the rock bands The Sporting Paddies and the Mickey Finns, along with bagpipers and fiddlers. Enjoy some tempting treats and browse among the variety of Irish merchandise on sale at the Fairgrounds and Noon Inn.